Bristol M32 project ‘still going ahead’ despite uncertainty

Last week transport planners appeared to suggest they were no longer planning to build a park and ride at junction one of the motorway.

It’s unclear what the M32 project would include, apart from “looking at travel behaviour”. Pressed on whether the plan still includes building a park and ride, the West of England Combined Authority said it “remained fully committed to tackling congestion”.

The M32 project was discussed by the combined authority, during a committee meeting on Friday, July 26, after suggestions from senior officers were reported earlier that week that the park and ride plan had been scrapped, in favour of alternative solutions for cutting congestion.

Stephen Peacock, chief executive of the combined authority, said: “Just for clarity, the M32 sustainable transport project has not been scrapped. Put simply, the original plan, because of the nature and scope of it, would not have passed the [Department for Transport] value for money test, so it was clearly not going to work as it was.

“The scope of that piece of work has now been broadened, so it’s a broader geographical area, and it will look into things like travel behaviour, not just along the M32 but around it, including making sure that if we make it harder for people to get onto the M32, we don’t make it as easy for them to take alternative routes.

“Because that clearly would not help congestion or air quality. There’s been very good joint working between ourselves, Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire officers. We now have a reset of that project, looking at a broader area. But nothing has been scrapped.”

A park and ride plan at the M32 has been discussed for many years. Earlier this year, the former Labour mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, claimed that South Gloucestershire Council “no longer supported” the project, which also included reducing the space for private cars.

In a West of England scrutiny committee meeting, on Monday, July 22, transport planners warned the plan would push traffic onto nearby residential areas instead. Now the project is exploring “wider solutions to be able to intercept private vehicles and bring them off the network”, according to Malcolm Parsons, delivery director for transport infrastructure.

During the committee meeting on Friday, leading politicians said the project would continue, as current levels of traffic on the M32 are “wholly unacceptable”. But one warned the “evidence wasn’t stacking up” for previous plans for the motorway. Nobody mentioned a park and ride.

Dan Norris, the Labour metro mayor of the West of England, said: “We have got to get this right because the traffic, as it currently is, is wholly unacceptable. We’ve got to work and use our skills, abilities and resources to make a difference in that area, because people have been suffering for a long time.”

Labour Councillor Ian Boulton, deputy leader of South Gloucestershire Council, added: “We want to be evidence-based in everything that we do. At that time, the evidence wasn’t stacking up as was originally hoped. Widening this project, so we can look at how people are using the M32 and the destinations they’re going from and to, I think will really help this.”

After the meeting, the West of England Combined Authority was asked if the project still includes building a park and ride at junction one of the M32. Their response did not mention a park and ride.

A spokesman for the combined authority said: “We are continuing work to progress with the M32 sustainable transport corridor project. Last week the mayor and members of the combined authority committee approved the revised milestones and funding allocations for this important project, and we expect an outline business case will be submitted early next year.

“We remain fully committed to addressing the challenges relating to congestion, which causes both noise and air pollution, affecting local residential areas and those using the M32.”